Most people who are interested in starting a MA often have the same mis-conception. They come into a school thinking that they are all the same. I get asked many times, by people that I know, if what I train in is the same as some school in their neighborhood. Here’s the lowdown:
- Every school teaches it’s own style
- Every school teaches it’s own combination of styles
- Each style is different
- Each school teaches it’s own version of a style
- Instructors in a school may teach differently
- A school that is a member of a governing association might be similar to another school that is a member
- Each school will have a different level of traditionalism
- Each school sets up it’s own rules
And many, many other things. But suffice it to say, unless the school is part of a large chain of schools, you will have to evaluate each one on its own merit. Your success will be better if you do the following:
- Learn about the different styles
- Honestly evaluate what your needs are
- Honestly research/evaluate the school
- Decide
Good luck!
Currently responding to numerous submissions. Will be adding more video content as soon as possible.
Today I find myself questioning whether or not I am too strict with the students. With the kids, my main goal is to keep them safe at all times. I find that there are a few who need to be reminded over and over again to not do things like wrestle,push and jump on each other. I certainly understand that kids need the guidance, but I’m wondering if they like me as an instructor. When I have to be particularly strict with a child, I make it a point to give that student some quality recognition later in the class. I know that most people tend remember their last interaction with someone, and kids are not different. I like to leave them on a positive note whenever possible. I don’t want them coming to class and wonder if the “mean” instructor is going to get on their cases again.
I also feel like I was a little be harder on the younger Black Belts in the adult class. But I just realized something… they are younger and tend to fool around and chit-chat if I let them! That drags everyone down and that’s certainly not good. I am okay with them needing more discipline!
Still working my way through the book, “Meditations on Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training & Real World Violence” by Sgt. Rory Miller and came across something interesting.
As an instructor, I often come across long-time students who have trained to defend themselves, but seem to have trouble with the thought of having to injure someone. Additionally, they/we often overlook simple solutions to an attack situation. The author does a good job of explaining one aspect of this. It’s the idea of giving ourselves permission to act. He describes some usual mental blocks that hinder one’s training, including my own. He also offers some simple suggestions that may serve to free these roadblocks. I feel they are applicable to the beginner as well as the long-time Martial Artist. Take them as food for thought:
- “You have permission to defend yourself
- You have permission to be rude
- You have permission to survive, no matter what it takes
- You have permission to act when the scary man reaches for his belt. You do not need to wait until he draws the weapon or until he points it at you, or until he hurts you. You have permission to act.
- You have permission to beat me, even if I wear a Black Belt
- You have permission to become better than the best instructor you ever had
- You have permission to invent something better than I ever taught you, permission to use it in my class, permission to use it to defeat me, and permission to teach it to your students
- You have blanket permission t grow and live and survive and fight and run and scream and talk and play and laugh and learn and experiment. You have permission to win, and you have permission to decide what winning is. Be amazing!
Free your mind and keep it open to all the possibilities. There is often more than one right way to accomplish something. Train on!
I am going to add some video to the blog that shows the various styles. My goal is that this will make it easier for the beginner to compare their choices. There are tons of websites out there that weigh the pros and cons of each available style. There are as many opinions as there are MA practitioners and everyone likes to defend what they themselves train in. I will defend only one point of view: “Get as much information as possible before you decide”. My goal is to present the styles visually and leave it to each person to research and decide for themselves. I will save the long commentaries about each style to all those other sites.
I participated in a tournament this weekend and it was amazing for me! I fought in full contact kick-boxing for the first time, and I loved it! I have been practicing MA’s for about fifteen years and it is very exciting that I am still discovering new aspects of it, and of myself. I feel like a white belt again!
At tournaments, I now have experience in the following:
- Forms
- Point sparring
- Continuous sparring
- Full contact kick-boxing
- Demonstration
For those who are interested in the tournament circuit, I will break down the various categories. Keep in mind that most schools will focus primarily on one aspect of a tournament
- Forms: Empty-handed or weapons. Traditional/Creative/Extreme. Musical/non-musical
- Sparring: Point, Continuous, Team
- Kick-boxing: American, International, Muy Thai
- Demo: Group performance
Of course this is just a basic break-down. Each category has its own rules and guidelines that must be followed. Additionally, each one has its own expertise and focus. Tournaments are a great teaching tool for Martial Artists. The experience of performing under pressure aids a person in overcoming their fears, much like a self-defense situation. While success in tournaments does not guarantee and ability to protect oneself, certain aspects of them can be carried over to other parts of training, and life.
The recent reformat of the website seems to be positive. Thank you to all those who have taken advantage of the opportunity. I appreciate everyone’s patience as I strive to give people the best guidance possible.
There are two things I know about myself:
1. I am not a spring chicken anymore
2. I strongly dislike stretching
There is nothing I can do about the first one. I want to do something about the second one, but then again, I don’t really. Don’t get me wrong, I am impressed by those who can do the splits and kick over their head. I’m just not willing to put the effort in to accomplish it. I have never been that flexible and I chose my first art specifically because of the low kicks. I have since found that that one criteria is/was not sufficient to choose a style that is effective for me. I’d like to repeat, “for me”. I am certainly more flexible and able then I used to be, but I will never see a full split. And I am okay with that. There are so many other aspects of my art that I am more than capable at. The enjoyment I get from that outweighs my flexibility limitations. I guess the bottom line is:
- celebrate and develop what you are good at
- develop what you’re not good at, and celebrate the development
That is all….carry on.
There are basically three types of Martial Artists:
- Casual/Recreational-These types generally join a school for fitness and self-defense reasons. They train for a moderate amount of time but don’t really care if they attain a Black Belt or not. They drift in/out and eventually their “out” time leads them to find a reason not to return.
- Serious-This group will persevere through the difficulties and challenges and will reach their goal of attaining a Black Belt. At this point, they may persist for some time but they are satisfied with their level of accomplishment. They have succeeded at the difficult task and that is satisfaction enough for them. They may persist for a time but they, too, end up leaving. For them, it’s not so much about developing further, but about the goal they’ve reached. For the rest of their lives, they can say they are a Black Belt.
- Lifelong-The people in this group find themselves in a interesting situation. They get their Black Belt and suddenly realize that the journey has just begun, at least for them. They use the Black Belt as a jumping of point into further development and challenges in Martial Arts. In their hearts, they know that training is something they will do for the rest of their lives. They are not satisfied and that attitude drives them forward indefinitely. These are known as “practicing” Martial Artists.
Who’s to say which one is better? New students are inspired by the accomplishments and abilities of the Black Belts. Some are so motivated that they reach that level themselves. On the flip side, I am constantly reminded of the mind-set of the white belt. It is my goal to see things not through the eyes of someone who has been practicing for 15 years, but through the awe of the newbie.They bring a passion and excitement that I never want to forget in myself. For I know that if I lose that, it will be time to move on to something else. I am also inspired by those Black Belts that have the same level of commitment that I do. They participate in all the extra training even when they don’t have to. They challenge me to do better and hold me accountable when I lag. They raise the bar for me and challenge me to do that for them.
In the end, a successful dojo benefits from all three types of students. When properly acknowledged, motivated and nurtured, the varying levels can be intertwined to create a positive atmosphere for everyone. And in a positive environment, everyone benefits. In the end, they all need each other.
No, I don’t mean quit your training. What I mean is, when do you quit on a technique that’s not working? I often see students get frustrated when they are doing a certain technique and for whatever reason, it doesn’t seem to be working on their partner. This is true no matter which Art we are focusing on at the time: Aikido, Jui Jistu, Kenpo, Kung Fu. All the arts that contain some very specific responses and attacks. The same is not precisely true for the other combat arts such as boxing/kickboxing/wrestling/sparring as these contain attacks that are less “site” specific and more broad. Usually…
The most common comment I hear from students who are having trouble with a pain-compliance attempt is this:
- They aren’t feeling it
- It doesn’t work
- I can’t do it
They then begin to believe that the technique is ineffective. What they fail to understand is that not every technique will work on every person. I have personally witnessed, outside the dojo, people who have been kicked squarely in the groin with no effect. Does that mean a groin kick doesn’t work? Of course not. What the means is that if that particular kick doesn’t work on that particular person, you’d better have some other techniques to draw upon.
This brings me to my main point. Practicing single applications can and will be frustrating when they don’t work. That is the reason you should focus on three aspects:
- continue diligent practice on things even if the person you’re working with doesn’t feel it. Trust me, it will work on someone
- understand the need to always have multiple techniques in mind. (never practice against just one punch, assume multiples)
- remember that no matter how good you are at a particular technique, if it doesn’t work when used, you must be prepared to immediately switch to others. Keep going until something does work
It is should be remembered that every person is different. They have different body physiques, pain thresholds, and “fight/flight” responses. The competent Martial Artist will keep this in mind throughout every aspect of their training.
